How Does a High School Graduate Apply to Colleges?

Field of Study

The first thing you need to do is decide on a field of study. This will help you decide which colleges to visit or call. There are colleges and universities that are specific or known for specializing in a certain area of study. For example, you wouldn't apply to the Wharton School of Business if you wanted to study child psychology. If you are not sure what you want your area of study to be you may look in to colleges or universities that have a wide variety of degrees. You can start off as undeclared and then pick a major after you have tried a few classes.

Admissions Department

Call the admissions department for the list of colleges and universities that you are considering. Ask the admissions officer several questions so you know exactly how to apply to their school. You will need to know what the qualifications are to get accepted. Is he looking for a certain grade point average, SAT score, or that you are an active volunteer in your community? Make sure you ask him if he has any tips for when you are ready to submit your application. He may be in a good mood that day, and he may let you know what the school is looking for in an essay. You should also ask him if it is possible for you to get an interview when submitting your application so he can put a face to the paper. Write everything the admissions officer tells you in a notebook so you have the information handy when you are ready to fill out your application.

Necessary Forms

Have the colleges and universities send you their admissions applications. They may even be able to give you a link to download the application. Fill out the form and make sure you don't have any blank spots. You should choose two or three people that you trust to review the application and give you suggestions as to how you can make it better. These should be people who have gone to college before. Don't be offended at their suggestions. See if their suggestions can make your application better and then use them. This is an important step as colleges and universities get far more applications each year than they can accept. Make sure you are submitting everything on time and then wait to hear back from the colleges and universities.